Wire retaining ring for a welding system

ABSTRACT

The subject embodiments are directed to a system to allow an uninterrupted flow of a coil welding wire from one container to another container, the coil of welding wire including a coil top and a coil bottom. Each container includes at least one vertically extending side wall, a closed bottom, a top opening for removing the welding wire and a wire coil receiving cavity within the outer packaging for receiving the wire coil, the feeding end and the trailing end being positionable near the top opening. A wire retaining ring is disposed on the coil top in the container and another said container, the wire retaining ring includes a slot that extends radially from a center of the coil to allow the trailing end of the coil to be drawn at a location away from the center of the coil.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of prior U.S. applicationSer. No. 13/429,490, filed on Mar. 26, 2012, which is acontinuation-in-part of prior U.S. application Ser. No. 13/302,491,filed on Nov. 22, 2011. This application additionally claims the benefitof U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/679,401, filed on Aug. 3, 2012.The disclosures of each of these applications are incorporated byreference in their entireties herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure is related to welding systems, and moreparticularly, to a wire retaining ring for dispensing coiled wire from aplurality of containers to a welding system.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Wire is frequently packaged and stored in containers for delivery to anend user. In particular, wire such as that used for welding orsoldering, is wound in coils as it is packaged in drums or containers.Once shipped to the end user, the wire is dispensed from the containerfor use in any number of processes. In many instances, the wire is leftin the container and metered out as needed without removing the entirecoil. To facilitate easy removal, suppliers frequently incorporate atwist in the wire as it is fed into the drum. This helps the wire emergewithout rotating as it is drawn back out.

Dispensing wire from coils, however, presents the problem of unwindingthe wire smoothly without intertwining or forming knots, which can leadto defects or breaks in the wire resulting in costly downtime. The wiremay tangle in any number of ways. For example, multiple loops of wiremay lift off from the top of the coil at the same time entangling thewire as it drawn from the drum. In other instances, loops of wire mayunravel and fall behind the coil causing the wire to intertwine. Systemsand methods are needed to overcome these and other deficiencies.

SUMMARY

In an embodiment, a system for packaging and unwinding a coil of weldingwire is employed to allow an uninterrupted flow of the welding wire fromone container to another container. The coil of welding wire includes acoil top and a coil bottom, wherein a feeding end of the welding wireextends from the coil top and a trailing end of the wire extends fromthe coil bottom, the trailing end of the one container being joinable tothe feeding end of the another container. The system includes at leastone container including at least one vertically extending side wall, aclosed bottom, a top opening for removing the welding wire and a wirecoil receiving cavity within the outer packaging for receiving the wirecoil, the feeding end and the trailing end being positionable near thetop opening. A wire retaining ring is disposed on the coil top in the atleast one container. The wire retaining ring includes a discontinuousinner ring that has an inner radius and an inner gap and a discontinuousouter ring that has an outer radius. The radius of the outer ring isgreater than the inner radius, and the outer ring is substantiallyconcentrically disposed with regard to the inner ring. At least twospokes extend radially from the inner ring to the outer ring, and thespokes intersect the outer ring to create a plurality of segments alonga circumference of the outer ring. The wire ring also includes a wireguide extending radially from the inner ring to the outer ring andhaving a first portion and a second portion. The wire guide includes aslot having a slot width, the slot separating the first portion of theguide from the second portion of the guide and defining a discontinuityin the inner ring and a discontinuity in the outer ring. The slot isdisposed in a location in place of one of the plurality of spokes. Thetrailing end of the first coil of wire is positioned within the slot.

In another embodiment, a wire retaining ring for a coil of welding wire,the coil includes a coil top and a coil bottom, a feeding end of thewelding wire extends from the coil top and a trailing end of the wireextends from the coil bottom, the trailing end of the coil of wire beingjoinable to the feeding end of another coil of wire includes adiscontinuous inner ring that has an inner radius and an inner gap and adiscontinuous outer ring that has an outer radius which is greater thanthe inner radius, the outer ring being substantially concentricallydisposed with regard to the inner ring. The wire retaining ring alsoincludes at least two spokes that each extend radially from the innerring to the outer ring, the spokes intersect the outer ring to create aplurality of segments along a circumference of the outer ring.Additionally, the wire retaining ring includes a wire guide extendingradially from the inner ring to the outer ring and having a firstportion and a second portion, where the wire guide includes a slothaving a slot width and separating the first portion of the guide fromthe second portion of the guide. The slot defines a discontinuity in theinner ring and a discontinuity in the outer ring and is disposed in alocation in place of one of the plurality of spokes.

In yet another embodiment, an endless wire payoff system for coiled wireincludes a first container that contains a first coil of wire that has afeeding end and a trailing end, the feeding end is fed through the wirefeeder for a welding operation and a second container that contains asecond coil of wire that has a feeding end and trailing end, the feedingend of the second coil is connected to the trailing end of the firstcoil. The system also includes a first wire retaining ring disposed ontop of the first coil and a second wire retaining ring disposed on topof the second coil. Each wire retaining ring includes a discontinuousinner ring that has an inner radius and an inner gap and a discontinuousouter ring that has an outer radius, which is greater than the innerradius, the outer ring being substantially concentrically disposed withregard to the inner ring. The wire retaining ring also includes at leasttwo spokes that each extend radially from the inner ring to the outerring, the spokes intersecting the outer ring to create a plurality ofsegments along a circumference of the outer ring. Further, the wireretaining ring includes a wire guide extending radially from the innerring to the outer ring and having a first portion and a second portion,where the wire guide includes a slot having a slot width and separatingthe first portion of the guide from the second portion of the guide, theslot defining a discontinuity in the inner ring and a discontinuity inthe outer ring and disposed in a location in place of one of theplurality of spokes . The trailing end of the first coil of wire ispositioned within the slot.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described herein. This summary is notintended to identify key features or essential features of the claimedsubject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of theclaimed subject matter. Furthermore, the claimed subject matter is notlimited to implementations that solve any or all disadvantages noted inany part of this disclosure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Reference is made to the accompanying drawings in which particularembodiments and further benefits of the invention are illustrated asdescribed in more detail in the description below, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an endless bulk wire system thatincludes wire retaining rings to locate a trailing end of wire from acoil into a location that mitigates entanglement hazards;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a wire coil with a wire retaining ring;

FIG. 3 is a front elevation view of a wire coil with a first embodimentof the wire retaining ring;

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of the first embodiment of the wireretaining ring;

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of a second embodiment of the wireretaining ring;

FIG. 6 is a front elevation view of the second embodiment of the wireretaining ring;

FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of a third embodiment of a wireretaining ring;

FIG. 8 is a top perspective view of an embodiment of a wire retainingmember;

FIG. 9 is a top perspective view of another embodiment of a wireretaining ring; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the wire retaining ring of FIG. 9within a wire container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring now to the figures, several embodiments or implementations ofthe present invention are hereinafter described in conjunction with thedrawings, wherein like reference numerals are used to refer to likeelements throughout. The subject embodiments are directed to a wireretaining ring that is employed to move a trailing end out of the centerof a wire coil thereby mitigating the potential for entanglement of thetrailing end with a feeding end. For this purpose, the wire retainingring is disposed on top of the wire coil and includes a slot extendingradially outward from the center of the ring to the outer periphery ofthe wire coil to position the trailing end. Although illustrated anddescribed hereinafter in the context of various exemplary weldingsystems, the invention is not limited to the illustrated examples.

More particularly, the subject embodiments relate to an endless bulkwire container arrangement, wherein a first container contains a coil ofwire that includes a coil top and a coil bottom, wherein a feeding endof the coil is drawn from the coil top from an opening in the center ofthe coil. A trailing end from the coil is also drawn from the center ofthe coil thereby causing a potential tangling hazard between the feedingend and the trailing end during a wire feeding operation. The subjectembodiments are directed to a wire retaining ring that is employed tomove the trailing end out of the center of the wire coil therebymitigating the potential for entanglement between wire ends. For thispurpose, the wire retaining ring is disposed on top of a wire coil andincludes a slot extending radially outward from the center of the ringto the outer periphery of the wire coil. In this manner, when acontainer is opened, the trailing end can be manually positionedradially outward in the slot formed in the retaining ring into a cornerof the container where it poses no entangling hazard. The trailing endmay be connected to a coil within a different container to provide anendless supply of wire to a welder. This arrangement can be implementedrepeatedly as suitable to effectively provide an endless supply of wireto a welding system.

FIG. 1 illustrates a coil system 100 that facilitates an endless wiresupply for delivery to a welding system, such as an electric or arcwelder. The subject embodiments relate to a plurality of wire coilswhich are interconnected to facilitate delivery of weld wire to awelding system and mitigating tangling or other encumbrance that mayoccur as wire is paid out from the coil. A first container 102 isadjacent a second container 104, wherein the first container 102 housesa wire coil 106 and the second container 104 houses a wire coil 108. Thecoils 106, 108 contain a quantity of welding wire which coil to form ahollow body with a ring-shaped cross section. In FIG. 1, the containers102, 104 have a plurality of walls disposed in the interior of thecontainer to mitigate coil movement during shipping or other transport.The first wire coil 106 has a feeding end 118 which is paid out to aweld system or other suitable receiving component. A trailing end 122 iswelded, fused, or otherwise coupled to a feeding end 124 of the secondcoil at a location 142.

First container 102 and second container 104 are positioned side-by-sidewhereby the wire is fed from container 102 and then automaticallychanged over to feed wire from container 104. After the wire incontainer 102 is exhausted, the wire in container 104 is then pulledfrom the second container which is ultimately moved in the position ofthe first container and the vacant location of the second container isfilled by a subsequent supply of coil wire. The two wires are connected(e.g., via a standard butt weld) to create an endless welding wire. Theterm “endless” as used herein means that there are at least twocontainers at an installation with the trailing end of the wire in thefirst container 102 connected to the feeding end 124 of the second coil108 of wire in the second container 104. Similarly, the trailing end 126of the second coil 108 of wire can subsequently be connected to anothercontainer and so on.

The containers can be circular drums, square cardboard containers withone or more vertical walls, or any container suitable for storage andpayout of welding wire. The containers shown in FIG. 1 include a supplyof welding wire in the form of coils 106, 108 having wire with feedingends 118, 124 and trailing or trailing ends 122, 126, respectively. Whentransported, the trailing end of the coil is loose and the feeding endis pulled from the coil until the trailing end at the bottom of the coilis reached. At that time, the trailing end is connected to the feedingend of the next coil so there is an automatic change over from one coilto the next. To illustrate the disposition of the trailing end of thecoil when the container is shipped, trailing end 122 of coil 106 isillustrated as originating from the bottom portion 152 of coil 106.Thus, when coil 106 is exhausted, the last portion of the coil pulledfrom the container is trailing or trailing end 122. This is the end thatis ultimately connected (e.g., butt welded) to a feeding end of the nextcoil when the coil 106 is exhausted and replaced by a changeover to coil108 shifted to the position of the first (empty) container 102.

The wire coil 106 further includes the feeding end 118 extending betweencoil 106 near top 150; and the trailing end 122 extending from wire coil106 from near coil bottom 154. The feeding end 118 is fed from thecenter of the coil to a welding operation. The trailing end 122 ispositioned such that it extends from near bottom across the bottom ofthe coil and then up wall 172, and toward the center of the coil 106.Similarly, the wire coil 108 further includes the feeding end 124 thatis drawn from the top 152 from the center of the coil 106. The trailingend 126 of the second coil is positioned from the bottom 154 of the coil108 to be connected to a subsequent coil placed once the first coil 106has been depleted. Wire coils 106, 108 can be any coil known in the artwound by any known winding techniques in the art and can include a coilbottom positioned on a package bottom and an oppositely facing coil top.Wire coils 106, 108 further include a cylindrical outer surface and acylindrical inner surface, which extend between coil bottom and coiltop. Due to the method in which the wire welding is wound intocontainers 102, 104, the individual convolutions of wire 106, 108 canhave a natural cast which produces a radial outward force in the coiland an upward springing force in the coil. The upward springing force ismaintained and controlled by a wire retaining ring 130, which will bediscussed in greater detail below. The radial outward force of the coils106, 108 is controlled, at least in part, by the walls of containers102, 104.

The interior of containers 102, 104 are configured to receive the wirecoils 106, 108 respectively. In one embodiment, the containers 102, 104may be drum-like having a circular cross-section. Alternativeembodiments incorporate cubical containers having four side walls 156connected together by a floor panel 160. Inserts may be added thatcreate a polygonal boundary inscribing the outer perimeter of the coiledwire 106, 108. In particular, corner inserts 158 may be placedvertically within the container 102, 104 creating an octagonal boundary.While not shown, containers 102, 104 can also include inner packagingcomponents, such as a vertically extending liner, vapor barriers,hold-down mechanisms, or other welding wire packaging components.Additionally, containers 102, 104 may be covered by a container lid, notshown, constructed to prevent debris and other contaminants fromentering each container.

Wire retaining rings 130 are disposed on the top of the coil within thecontainers 102, 104 respectively. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the wireretaining ring 130 includes three concentrically disposed discontinuousrings: an inner ring 162, an intermediate ring 164 and an outer ring166. The inner ring is coupled to the intermediate ring and the outerring via a plurality of spokes 168 which are disposed at arc intervalspreferably regularly spaced around the inner ring, as illustrated. Thespokes 168 can have upward extensions both at the inner ring 162 andproximate the outer ring 166. Alternatively, or in addition, the spokes168 may extend beyond the radius of the outer ring 166 for abutmentagainst the inside wall (e.g., within corners) of containers 102, 104.The wire retaining ring 130 contains a slot 134 which, as shown in FIG.2, is defined by a first slot rail 136 and a second slot rail 138. Theslot 134 can be located in place of a spoke 168 for structuralconsistency and is illustrated in FIGS. 2 and 4 and extends from theinner ring 162 to the outer ring 166 wherein the inner ring includes aninner gap 222 and intermediate ring includes an intermediate gap 224 toaccommodate a continuous slot. In one embodiment, the slot 134 is asingle slot that extends from the inner ring 162 to the outer ring 166.As best described in FIG. 4, the slot is comprised of the first slotrail 136 and a second slot rail 138, which extends from the inner ring162 to the outer ring 166.

As shown in FIG. 4, a connecting element 412 is disposed at the outerring 166, which includes a first vertical rail 414 that connects thefirst slot rail 136 to a first supplementary rail 214. A second verticalrail 416 within the connecting element 412 connects the second slot rail138 to a second supplementary rail 216. In such configuration, thetrailing end 122 can be moved away from the center of the coil similarto the first embodiment wherein a redundant slot arrangement isemployed. Regardless of the slot arrangement, however, substantially anyconfiguration is contemplated which moves a trailing end away from thepayout location in the center of the coil to ensure that no entanglementincurs and to allow for a simplistic connection from the trailing end122 to the feeding end of a different coil (e.g., feeding end 124). Inthis manner, the trailing end 122 from the first wire coil 106 can bedisposed and held at a location which is distal from the center of thewire coil 106. While the feeding end of the wire 118 is paid out to awelder or other receiving component, the trailing end wire 122 will notinterfere with such payout as to avoid entanglement or other negativeconsequence of interference between wire ends. While connecting elements412 are illustrated as extend beyond the periphery of outer ring 166,there is no need to limit the design as such as connecting elements mayterminate at the peripheral edge or interiorly.

The wire retaining ring 130 can be made from a wide variety ofmaterials, including, but not limited to a steel, an aluminum, a copper,a nickel, a stainless steel, and a brass. Alternatively or in addition,components within the wire retaining ring 130 can includethermoplastics, thermosets, terpolymers, and/or polymers. Polymers ofmonoolefins and diolefins, for example would include polypropylene,polyisobutylene, polybutene-1, polymethylpentene-1, polyisoprene orpolybutadiene, as well as polymers of cycloolefins, for instance ofcyclopentene or norbornene, polyethylene (which optionally can becrosslinked), for example high density polyethylene (HDPE), low densitypolyethylene (LDPE) and linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE) may beused. Mixtures of these polymers, for example mixtures of polypropylenewith polyisobutylene, polypropylene with polyethylene (for examplePP/HDPE), may also be used. Also useful are copolymers of monoolefinsand diolefins with each other or with other vinyl monomers, such as, forexample, ethylene/propylene, LLDPE and its mixtures with LDPE,propylene/butene-1, ethylene/hexene, ethylene/ethyl pentene,ethylene/heptene, ethylene/octene, propylene/butadiene,isobutylene/isoprene, ethylene/alkyl acrylates, ethylene/alkylmethacrylates, ethylene/vinyl acetate (EVA) or ethylene/acrylic acidcopolymers (EAA) and their salts (ionomers) and terpolymers of ethylenewith propylene and a diene, such as hexadiene, dicyclopentadiene orethylidene-norbornene; as well as mixtures of such copolymers and theirmixtures with polymers mentioned above, for examplepolypropylene/ethylene-propylene copolymers, LDPE/EVA, LDPE/EAA,LLDPE/EVA and LLDPE/EAA.

Thermoplastic polymers may also include styrenic polymers, such aspolystyrene, poly-(p-methylstyrene), poly(.alpha.-methylstyrene),copolymers of styrene, p-methylstyrene or alpha-methylstyrene withdienes or acrylic derivatives, such as, for example, styrene/butadiene,styrene/acrylonitrile, styrene/alkyl methacrylate, styrene/maleicanhydride, styrene/butadiene/ethyl acrylate,styrene/acrylonitrile/methacrylate; mixtures of high impact strengthfrom styrene copolymers and another polymer, such as, for example, froma polyacrylate, a diene polymer or an ethylene/propylene/dieneterpolymer; and block copolymers of styrene, such as, for example,styrene/butadiene/styrene, styrene/isoprene/styrene,styrene/ethylene/butylene/styrene or styrene/ethylene/propylene/styrene.Styrenic polymers may additionally or alternatively include graftcopolymers of styrene or alpha-methylstyrene such as, for example,styrene on polybutadiene, styrene on polybutadiene-styrene orpolybutadiene-acrylonitrile; styrene and acrylonitrile (ormethacrylonitrile) on polybutadiene; styrene and maleic anhydride ormaleimide on polybutadiene; styrene, acrylonitrile and maleic anhydrideor maleimide on polybutadiene; styrene, acrylonitrile and methylmethacrylate on polybutadiene, styrene and alkyl acrylates ormethacrylates on polybutadiene, styrene and acrylonitrile onethylene/propylene/diene terpolymers, styrene and acrylonitrile onpolyacrylates or polymethacrylates, styrene and acrylonitrile onacrylate/butadiene copolymers, as well as mixtures of the styreniccopolymers indicated above.

Nitrile polymers are also useful. These include homopolymers andcopolymers of acrylonitrile and its analogs such as methacrylonitrile,such as polyacrylonitrile, acrylonitrile/butadiene polymers,acrylonitrile/alkyl acrylate polymers, acrylonitrile/alkylmethacrylate/butadiene polymers, acrylonitrile/butadiene/styrene (ABS),and ABS which includes methacrylonitrile.

Polymers based on acrylic acids, such as acrylic acid, methacrylic acid,methyl methacrylate acid and ethacrylic acid and esters thereof may alsobe used. Such polymers include polymethylmethacrylate, and ABS-typegraft copolymers wherein all or part of the acrylonitrile-type monomerhas been replaced by an acrylic acid ester or an acrylic acid amide.Polymers including other acrylic-type monomers, such as acrolein,methacrolein, acrylamide and methacrylamide may also be used.

Halogen-containing polymers may also be useful. These include resinssuch as polychloroprene, epichlorohydrin homopolymers and copolymers,polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl bromide, polyvinyl fluoride,polyvinylidene chloride, chlorinated polyethylene, chlorinatedpolypropylene, fluorinated polyvinylidene, brominated polyethylene,chlorinated rubber, vinyl chloride-vinylacetate copolymer, vinylchloride-ethylene copolymer, vinyl chloride propylene copolymer, vinylchloride-styrene copolymer, vinyl chloride-isobutylene copolymer, vinylchloride-vinylidene chloride copolymer, vinyl chloride-styrene-maleicanhydride tercopolymer, vinyl chloride-styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer,vinyl chloride-isoprene copolymer, vinyl chloride-chlorinated propylenecopolymer, vinyl chloride-vinylidene chloride-vinyl acetatetercopolymer, vinyl chloride-acrylic acid ester copolymers, vinylchloride-maleic acid ester copolymers, vinyl chloride-methacrylic acidester copolymers, vinyl chloride-acrylonitrile copolymer and internallyplasticized polyvinyl chloride.

Other useful thermoplastic polymers include homopolymers and copolymersof cyclic ethers, such as polyalkylene glycols, polyethylene oxide,polypropylene oxide or copolymers thereof with bis-glycidyl ethers;polyacetals, such as polyoxymethylene and those polyoxymethylene whichcontain ethylene oxide as a comonomer; polyacetals modified withthermoplastic polyurethanes, acrylates or methacrylonitrile containingABS; polyphenylene oxides and sulfides, and mixtures of polyphenyleneoxides with polystyrene or polyamides; polycarbonates andpolyester-carbonates; polysulfones, polyethersulfones andpolyetherketones; and polyesters which are derived from dicarboxylicacid and diols and/or from hydroxycarboxylic acids or the correspondinglactones, such as polyethylene terephthalate, polybutyleneterephthalate, poly-1,4-dimethyliol-cyclohexane terephthalate,poly-[2,2,4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-propane]terephthalate andpolyhydroxybenzoates as well as block copolyetheresters derived frompolyethers having hydroxyl end groups.

Polyamides and copolyamides which are derived from diamines anddicarboxylic acids and/or from aminocarboxylic acids or thecorresponding lactams, such as polyamide-4, polyamide-6, polyamide-6/6,polyamide-6/10, polyamide-6/9, polyamide-6/12, polyamide-4/6,polyamide-11, polyamide-12, aromatic polyamides obtained by condensationof m-xylene, diamine and adipic acid; polyamides prepared fromhexamethylene diamine and isophthalic and/or terephthalic acid andoptionally an elastomer as modifier, for example,poly-2,4,4-trimethylhexamethylene terephthalamide or poly-m-phenyleneisophthalamide may be useful. Further copolymers of the aforementionedpolyamides with poly-olefins, olefin copolymers, ionomers or chemicallybonded or grafted elastomers; or with polyethers, such as for instance,with polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol or polytetramethyleneglycols, and polyamides or copolyamides modified with EPDM or ABS may beused.

Regardless of material, it will be appreciated that by increasingthickness and/or substituting materials of construction of the rings162, 164, 166, and spokes 168, the rigidity of wire retaining ring 130can be varied to minimize deflection or distortion of the ring bodyduring the operation of the unwinding of the welding wire from the wirecoil. This variance in thickness of components is also commensurate witha variable weight, which can be used with different welding wire typesand sizes. For example, the wire retaining ring 130 can have a weightrange which varies relative to gauge of the welding wire, twist on thewelding wire, welding wire material, and other relevant factors. In anembodiment, the wire retaining ring 130 has a weight of between 1 and 7pounds, which can be calibrated for use with different wires, whereindifferent models of wire retaining ring have different weights asappropriate. For example, the wire retaining ring 130 may have a 5 poundtotal weight when used with a heavier gauge weld wire, whereas the wireretaining ring 130 has a 2 pound weight when used with a relativelyfiner gauge weld wire. The addition or elimination of spokes, and/orvariation in material thickness can be employed to obtain desired weightresults. In this manner, the wire retaining ring 130 will not interferewith the payout of the wire from the coils 106, 108 by under compressingor over-compressing the coil.

FIG. 2 illustrates a top plan view of the wire retaining ring 130 toillustrate the configuration of the inner ring 162, intermediate ring164 and outer ring 166. As depicted, the discontinuous rings areconcentrically disposed relative to one another and are coupled togethervia a plurality of spokes 168. It is to be appreciated that althoughonly a single intermediate ring 164 is depicted, substantially anynumber of intermediate rings can be employed, including the eliminationof an intermediate ring as suitable for each application. As shown, thetrailing end 122 is illustrated as exiting the slot 134 and is disposedat a location distal from the inner ring. The feeding end 118 is paidout from the coil 106 through the inner ring into a receiving componentsuch as a weld system.

FIG. 3 illustrates an elevation of the horizontal planes defined byrings within the wire retaining ring 130. The inner ring 162 is shown aselevated in relation to the intermediate ring 164 and outer ring 166, toallow flexibility for the payout of the feeding end 118 from the coil106. The height of the inner ring 162 relative to the intermediate andouter rings can vary and be equal to that of the intermediate and outerrings or lower than the intermediate and outer rings in variousapplications. The elevation of the intermediate ring 164 to the outerring 166 is substantially equivalent. As the elevation of the inner ring162 is higher than the intermediate ring 164 and the outer ring 166, theslot 134 can be upwardly angled toward the inner ring. Thisconfiguration can facilitate payout of wire through the inner ring in anupward direction from the coil and out of the respective container.

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view of a second embodiment of a wireretaining ring, which shows wire retaining ring 500. The wire retainingring 500 includes a discontinuous inner ring 562, a discontinuousintermediate ring 564 and an outer ring 566, which are axiallyconcentrically aligned to one another. The inner ring 562 has a radiusA, the intermediate ring has a radius B, and the outer ring has a radiusC, wherein radius C is greater than radius B and radius B is greaterthan radius A. In addition, an elevation of the horizontal plan definedby inner ring is greater than an elevation of the outer ring toaccommodate wire drawn from the center of the inner ring 562 in anupward motion. An elevation of the intermediate ring 564 issubstantially equal to the outer ring 566. The elevation of the innerring 562 relative to the intermediate ring 564 is shown in FIG. 6.

A plurality of spokes 568 extend from the inner ring 562 to the outerring 566 to provide structural support, additional weight to the wireretaining ring 500, and to maintain a location within a container. Asthe spokes are coupled to each of the rings 562, 564, and 566, thespokes are generally angled upward from the outer ring to the inner ringdue to the elevation of the inner ring relative to the outer ring 566and the intermediate ring 564. In an example, as shown in thisembodiment, the wire retaining ring 500 has eight spokes 568 that eachextend radially from the inner ring 562 to the outer ring 566. In acontainer with eight corners (e.g., at the intersections of eightvertical walls as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 above), each spoke 568 isdisposed within a corner to mitigate lateral movement of the wireretaining ring 500 within the container. The length of the spokes can beless than, substantially equal to, or greater than the radius C. In anembodiment, the spokes 568 are longer than the radius C. The spokes 568intersect the outer ring to create a plurality of segments with an arclength 592 along the outer ring 566. As the spokes are disposed at asubstantially equivalent offset angle around the outer ring, the segmentdistance between spokes have a substantially equivalent arc length 592.The spokes 568 have an inner end 582 and an outer end 584, wherein thedistal ends 582 and 584 are bent at an angle of approximately 90 degreesin an upward direction. This feature can also mitigate entanglementhazards of the wire with the retaining ring 500.

A wire slot 534 is defined by a first slot rail 526 and a second slotrail 528, which both extend from the inner ring 562 to the outer ring566. The wire slot 534 is generally located at a position in place of aspoke 568 to maintain general structural integrity, wherein an inner gap572 at the inner ring and a intermediate gap 574 at the intermediatering are made to facilitate a continuous slot from the inside to theoutside of the wire retaining ring. In an embodiment, the width of theinner gap 572 is less than the width of the intermediate gap 574. It isto be appreciated, however, that the inner gap 572 can have a width thatis substantially any size relative to the intermediate gap 574. Usingthe wire slot 534, a user can move the trailing end of a wire (e.g.,trailing end 122) out of the inner ring 562 to location near the outerring 566, such as between the intermediate ring 564 and the outer ring566, as shown in FIG. 6. In the meantime, the feeding end of the wire isdrawn from the inner ring to a weld operation. As the coil is depletedfrom the top to the bottom of the coil within the container, the wire isdrawn up through the wire slot 534 wherein the trailing end is liftedout of a first container to become the leading end of a second coilwithin a second container. To facilitate this endless wireconfiguration, the trailing end is fused, welded, or otherwise connectedto the leading end of the second coil. As subsequent coils can allinclude a wire retaining ring, the wire can effectively provide anendless supply of wire to a welding system while mitigating anyentanglement related thereto.

FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of a third embodiment of a wireretaining ring 700. The wire retaining ring 700 includes a discontinuousinner ring 762, a discontinuous intermediate ring 764, and an outer ring766, which are axially concentrically aligned, or coaxial, to oneanother. The inner ring 762 has a radius A, the intermediate ring 764has a radius B, and the outer ring 766 has a radius C, wherein radius Cis greater than radius B and radius B is greater than radius A. Inaddition, an elevation of the horizontal plane defined by the inner ring762 is greater than an elevation of the horizontal plane defined by theouter ring 766 to accommodate wire drawn from the center of the innerring in an upward motion. The elevation of the horizontal plane definedby the intermediate ring 764 is substantially equal to the that of theouter ring 766.

A plurality of spokes 768 extend radially from the inner ring 762 to theouter ring 766 to provide structural support, additional weight to thewire retaining ring 700, and to maintain a location, or index, of thewire retaining ring 700 within a container. As the spokes are coupled toeach of the rings 762, 764, and 766, the spokes are generally angledupward from the outer ring to the inner ring due to the elevation of theinner ring relative to the outer ring 766 and the intermediate ring 764.In an example, as shown in this embodiment, the wire retaining ring 700has seven spokes 768 that each extend radially from the inner ring 762to the outer ring 766. In a container with eight corners (e.g., at theintersections of eight vertical walls as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 above),each spoke 768 is disposed within a corner to mitigate lateral orrotational movement of the wire retaining ring 700 within the container.The length of the spokes can be less than, substantially equal to, orgreater than the radius C. In an embodiment, the spokes 768 are longerthan the radius C. The spokes 768 intersect the outer ring to create aplurality of segments 792 with an arc length along the outer ring 766.As the spokes 768 are disposed at a substantially equivalent anglearound the outer ring 766, the segments 792 have a substantiallyequivalent arc length. The spokes 768 have an inner end 782 and an outerend 784, wherein the out ends 784 are bent at an angle of approximately90 degrees in an upward direction. In addition to reducing the movementof the ring 700 with a container, these upturned ends 782, 784 may alsomitigate entanglement hazards of the wire with the retaining ring 700.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 7, the wire retaining ring 700 alsoincludes a plate 730. The plate 730 extends radially from the inner ring762 to the outer ring 766 and is affixed to the ring 700 at the innerring 762 and the outer ring 766. Additionally, the plate 730 may also beaffixed to the intermediate ring 764. The plate 730 may be affixed tothe rings 762, 764, 766 by welding, soldering, or other joiningtechniques known to one of ordinary skill in the art. A plurality ofwindows 738 are provided in the plate 730, and the absence of materialprovided by the windows decreases the amount of surface area of theplate for the welding wire to contact during payout, thereby decreasingthe amount of friction to which the welding wire is subjected duringpayout from the wire container.

The plate 730 also includes a slot 734 having a slot width. The slot 734defines a discontinuity or gap in the inner ring 762 and intermediatering 764 and extends radially from the discontinuity in the inner ringto a position radially inward of the outer ring 766. A tab 736 isprovided in the plate 730 and extends partially across the slot 734 at alocation proximate the inner gap 764 or discontinuity in the inner ring762. The tab 736 serves to narrow the slot 734 at the inner ring 762 soas to mitigate the welding wire being paid off from catching or stickingin the gap 734 during wire payout. While the tab 736 is provided as aprojecting member from one wall of the slot 734, it is also envisionedthat the slot 734 may be gradually tapered from the outer ring 766toward the inner ring 762 so as to achieve the same benefit of the tab(not shown in FIG. 7). The slot 734 is curved or arcuate and istherefore said to extend in an arc from the inner ring 762 toward theouter ring 766, but alternately may extend linearly from the inner ring762 toward the outer ring 766. The wire slot 734 is generally located ata position in place of a spoke 768 to maintain general structuralintegrity, wherein the discontinuity or gap 772 at the inner ring 762and the discontinuity or gap 774 in the intermediate ring 764 are formedto facilitate a continuous slot from the inside to the outside of thewire retaining ring. In an embodiment, the width of the inner gap 772 isless than the width of the intermediate gap 774. It is to beappreciated, however, that the inner gap 772 can have a width that issubstantially any size relative to the intermediate gap 774. Using thewire slot 734, a user can move the trailing end of a wire out of theinner ring 762 to location near the outer ring 766, such as between theintermediate ring 764 and the outer ring 766. In the meantime, thefeeding end of the wire is drawn from the inner ring 762 to a weldoperation. As the coil is depleted from the top to the bottom of thecoil within the container, the wire is drawn up through the wire slot734, wherein the trailing end of the wire is lifted out of a firstcontainer to become the leading end of a second coil within a secondcontainer. To facilitate this endless wire configuration, the trailingend is fused, welded, or otherwise connected to the leading end of thesecond coil. As subsequent coils can all include a wire retaining ring,the wire can effectively provide an endless supply of wire to a weldingsystem while mitigating any entanglement related thereto.

The wire retaining ring 700 can be made from a wide variety ofmaterials, including, but not limited to steel, aluminum, copper,nickel, stainless steel, brass, as well as the variety of metallic andplastic materials described hereinabove.

FIG. 8 is a top perspective view of a fourth embodiment of a wireretaining ring, which shows wire retaining member 800. The wireretaining member 800 includes a substantially planar body 860 which hasa perimeter, an inner wall 862, and an outer wall 866. As shown in theembodiment of FIG. 8, the perimeter of the planar body is octagonal, andsuch a configuration is designed such that the number of corners 810 ofthe retaining member 800 is equal to the number of corners in thecontainer of welding wire. When the retaining member 800 is placed inthe welding wire container, this configuration mitigates lateral orrotational movement of the wire retaining ring within the containerduring payout of the welding wire. Of course, a circular perimeter andother polygonal perimeter shapes are also contemplated and may beconfigured so as to correspond to the interior shape of a variety ofwelding wire containers. The planar body 860 also contains a pluralityof view slots 868, which are provided to allow a user to monitor theheight of the welding wire within the container as the wire is paid off.The view slots 868 shown in FIG. 8 are spaced at equal intervals throughthe planar body and extend in an arc from the inner wall 862 toward theouter wall 866, although the slots may also extend in a straight line,diagonal line, or in other shaped slots from the inner wall toward theouter wall.

A tab 836 is provided in the inner wall 862 and extends partially acrossthe slot 834 at a location proximate the discontinuity in the inner wall862. The tab 836 serves to narrow the slot 834 at the inner wall 862 soas to mitigate the welding wire being paid off from catching or stickingin the gap 834 during wire payout. While the tab 836 is provided as aprojecting member from one wall of the slot 834, it is also envisionedthat the slot 834 may be gradually tapered from the outer ring 866toward the inner ring 862 so as to achieve the same benefit of the tab.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the inner wall 862 is frustoconicalin shape and extends upwardly from the substantially planar body 860. Atits top, the inner wall 862 is circular in shape defines an aperture 850located at the center of the planar body 860. When inserted in acontainer of welding wire, the aperture 850 is oriented so as to becoaxial with the longitudinal axis of the coil of welding wire. In otherwords, the aperture 850 and the coiled welding wire share a common axis.The outer wall 866 also extends upwardly from the substantially planarbody 860 and extends continuously around the perimeter of the planarbody. As is the case in FIG. 8, the outer wall 866 is provided in theform a plurality of walls which intersect at corners 810, where thenumber of corners 810 is equal to the number of corners on the interiorof the container. In such a polygonal configuration, each wall is saidto have a wall length 892, where the wall length is substantially equalto the length of an interior wall of the welding wire container.

In place of one of the view slots 868, a wire slot 834 is provided. Thewire slot 834 has a slot width and defines a discontinuity or gap in theinner wall 862. The wire slot 834 extends radially from thediscontinuity in the inner wall 862 to a position radially inward of theouter wall 866. The slot 834 is curved or arcuate and is therefore saidto extend in an arc from the inner wall 862 toward the outer wall 866,but alternately may extend linearly from the inner wall toward the outerwall. The wire slot 834 is generally located at a position in place of aview slot 868 to maintain general structural integrity, wherein theinner gap 872 or discontinuity at the inner wall 862 is formed tofacilitate a continuous slot from the inside to the outside of the wireretaining member 800. Using the wire slot 834, a user can move thetrailing end of a wire out of the inner 862 to location near the outerwall 866. In the meantime, the feeding end of the wire is drawn from theinner wall 862 to a weld operation. As the coil is depleted from the topto the bottom of the coil within the container, the wire is drawn upthrough the wire slot 834, wherein the trailing end of the wire islifted out of a first container to become the leading end of a secondcoil within a second container. To facilitate this endless wireconfiguration, the trailing end is fused, welded, or otherwise connectedto the leading end of the second coil. As subsequent coils can allinclude a wire retaining ring, the wire can effectively provide anendless supply of wire to a welding system while mitigating anyentanglement related thereto.

The wire retaining member 800 can be made from a wide variety ofmaterials, including, but not limited to steel, aluminum, copper,nickel, stainless steel, brass, as well as the variety of metal andplastic materials described hereinabove.

FIG. 9 is a top perspective view of another embodiment of a wireretaining ring 900. The wire retaining ring 900 includes a discontinuousinner ring 962, a discontinuous intermediate ring 964, and adiscontinuous outer ring 966, which are axially concentrically aligned,or coaxial, to one another. The inner ring 962 has a radius A, theintermediate ring 964 has a radius B, and the outer ring 966 has aradius C, wherein radius C is greater than radius B and radius B isgreater than radius A. In addition, an elevation of the horizontal planedefined by the inner ring 962 is greater than an elevation of thehorizontal plane defined by the outer ring 966 to accommodate wire drawnfrom the center of the inner ring in an upward motion. The elevation ofthe horizontal plane defined by the intermediate ring 964 issubstantially equal to the that of the outer ring 966.

A plurality of spokes 968 extend radially from the inner ring 962 to theouter ring 966 to provide structural support, additional weight to thewire retaining ring 900, and to maintain a location, or index, of thewire retaining ring 900 within a container. As the spokes are coupled toeach of the rings 962, 964, and 966, the spokes are generally angledupward from the outer ring to the inner ring due to the elevation of theinner ring relative to the outer ring 966 and the intermediate ring 964.In an example, as shown in this embodiment, the wire retaining ring 900has seven spokes 968 that each extend radially from the inner ring 962to the outer ring 966. In a container with eight corners (e.g., at theintersections of eight vertical walls as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 above),each spoke 968 is disposed within a corner to mitigate lateral orrotational movement of the wire retaining ring 900 within the container.The length of the spokes can be less than, substantially equal to, orgreater than the radius C. In an embodiment, the spokes 968 are longerthan the radius C. The spokes 968 intersect the outer ring to create aplurality of segments 992 with an arc length along the outer ring 966.As the spokes 968 are disposed at a substantially equivalent anglearound the outer ring 966, the segments 992 have a substantiallyequivalent arc length. The spokes 968 have an inner end 982 and an outerend 984, wherein the outer ends 984 are bent at an angle ofapproximately 90 degrees in an upward direction. In addition to reducingthe movement of the ring 900 with a container, these upturned ends 982,984 may also mitigate entanglement hazards of the wire with theretaining ring 900.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the wire retaining ring 900 alsoincludes a wire guide 930 having a first portion 931 and a separatesecond portion 932. The wire guide 930 extends radially from the innerring 962 to the outer ring 966 and is affixed to the ring 900 at theinner ring 962 and the outer ring 966. Additionally, the wire guide 930may also be affixed to the intermediate ring 964. The wire guide 930 maybe affixed to the rings 962, 964, 966 by welding, soldering, or otherfastening or joining techniques known to one of ordinary skill in theart. A plurality of windows 938 are provided in the second portion 932,and the absence of material provided by the windows decreases the amountof surface area of the second portion 932 for the welding wire tocontact during payout, thereby decreasing the amount of friction towhich the welding wire is subjected during payout from the wirecontainer.

The wire guide 930 defines a slot 934 having a slot width. The slot 934defines a discontinuity or gap in the inner ring 962, intermediate ring964, and outer ring 966, thereby separating the wire guide 930 into thefirst portion 931 and the second portion 932. While a radius 936 may beprovided as a projecting member from one wall of the slot 934, it isalso envisioned that the slot 934 may be gradually tapered from theouter ring 966 toward the inner ring 962 so as to achieve the samebenefit of the radius (not shown in FIG. 9). An inner portion of slot934, shown, is curved or arcuate and is therefore said to extend in anarc from the inner ring 962 toward the intermediate ring 964. To thatend, the first portion 931 of guide 930 includes a concave edge 1001extending from inner ring 962 toward intermediate ring 964. As shown,edge 1001 may extend beyond intermediate ring 964. The concave edge 1001extends outward (i.e. clockwise) as it extends radially outward fromradius 936 forming a nose 1003 at inner ring 962. The concave edgereaches an apex of curvature 1005 between inner ring 962 andintermediate ring 964. From apex 1005, concave edge 1001 extends inward(counterclock-wise) as it continues radially outward. From this point,first portion 931 flares or fans outward from a position proximate theintermediate ring 964 to the outer ring 966 forming a knee 1007 at theterminus of concave edge 1001. As shown, from knee 1007, first portion931 of guide 930 may extend outward at a constant slope to form a linearedge 1009. In the example shown, gap 972 formed between first and secondportions 931,932 is maintained at a constant width between inner ring962 and intermediate ring 964 by a convex edge 1002 that generally hasthe same radius of curvature as edge 1001. From intermediate ring 964 toouter ring 966, the edge 1002 may include a section 1004 that extendsalong a line generally parallel to a radial line but offset from thecenter axis of retaining ring 900. The outward flare of first portion931 relative to section 1004 opens the gap 972 between first and secondportions 931,932.

In other words, the portion of the slot 934 extending from the innerring 962 to a position proximate the intermediate ring 964 has asubstantially constant width, while the portion of the slot 934extending from the position proximate the intermediate ring 964 to theouter ring 966 increases in width from the intermediate ring to theouter ring. Alternately, the slot 934 may extend linearly from the innerring 962 toward the intermediate ring 964 while still flaring from theintermediate ring 964 to the outer ring 966. The wire slot 934 isgenerally located at a position in place of a spoke 968 to maintaingeneral structural integrity, wherein the discontinuity or gap 972 atthe inner ring 962, the discontinuity or gap 974 in the intermediatering 964, and the discontinuity or gap 976 in the outer ring 966 areformed to facilitate a continuous slot from the inside to the outside ofthe wire retaining ring 900. In an embodiment, the width of the innergap 972 is less than the width of the intermediate gap 974, which inturn is less than the width of the outer gap 976. It is to beappreciated, however, that the inner gap 972 can have a width that issubstantially any size relative to the intermediate gap 974 or outer gap976.

Given that the slot 934 may be arcuate, or curved, in shape, it is alsocontemplated that a shortened spoke 999 may be affixed to one of theportions 931, 932 of the wire guide 930 to further aid in alignment ofthe ring 900 in a wire container or box. As a further option, the radialouter extremity of guide 930 may be provided with an upwardly offset endto further control release of the wire from retaining ring 900. Theupward offset guides the wire upward just prior to release from ring 900promoting a more gradual release of wire from ring 900 and guiding thewire upward toward the top of the box or a wire retainer 174 located onthe wall of the box 172 (FIG. 10) effectively reducing the length ofwire being released from ring 900 and thereby reducing the chance that ae-script will form upon release. In the example shown in FIG. 9, eachguide portion 931, 932 may be provided with an upwardly offset lip1011,1012 extending upwardly and radially outward from respective edgeportions 1009,1004. In the example shown, shortened spoke 999 isattached to second lip 1012 on second guide portion 932.

Using the wire slot 934, the welding process can move the trailing endof a wire out of the inner ring 962 to location near the outer ring 966,such as between the intermediate ring 964 and the outer ring 966. In oneembodiment, as shown in FIG. 10, the trailing end of the wire may bepassed through a tab 174 formed in the interior of wall 172 of the wirecontainer. In the meantime, the feeding end of the wire is drawn fromthe inner ring 962 to a weld operation. As the coil is depleted from thetop to the bottom of the coil within the container, the wire is drawn upthrough the wire slot 934, wherein the trailing end of the wire islifted out of a first container to become the leading end of a secondcoil within a second container. To facilitate this endless wireconfiguration, the trailing end is fused, welded, or otherwise connectedto the leading end of the second coil. As subsequent coils can allinclude a wire retaining ring, the wire can effectively provide anendless supply of wire to a welding system while mitigating anyentanglement related thereto.

The wire retaining ring 900 can be made from a wide variety ofmaterials, including, but not limited to steel, aluminum, copper,nickel, stainless steel, brass, as well as the variety of metallic andplastic materials described hereinabove. In addition, wire retainingring 900 can be made of other non-metallic or plastic materials havingsufficient strength to perform the functions described herein includingbut not limited to paper, wood, ceramics, fiberglass, carbon-fiber, andcombinations of these materials and the other materials described above.

The above examples are merely illustrative of several possibleembodiments of various aspects of the present invention, whereinequivalent alterations and/or modifications will occur to others skilledin the art upon reading and understanding this specification and theannexed drawings. In particular regard to the various functionsperformed by the above described components (assemblies, devices,systems, circuits, and the like), the terms (including a reference to a“means”) used to describe such components are intended to correspond,unless otherwise indicated, to any component, such as hardware,software, or combinations thereof, which performs the specified functionof the described component (e.g., that is functionally equivalent), eventhough not structurally equivalent to the disclosed structure whichperforms the function in the illustrated implementations of theinvention. In addition although a particular feature of the inventionmay have been disclosed with respect to only one of severalimplementations, such feature may be combined with one or more otherfeatures of the other implementations as may be desired and advantageousfor any given or particular application. Also, to the extent that theterms “including”, “includes”, “having”, “has”, “with”, or variantsthereof are used in the detailed description and/or in the claims, suchterms are intended to be inclusive in a manner similar to the term“comprising”.

This written description uses examples to disclose the invention,including the best mode, and also to enable one of ordinary skill in theart to practice the invention, including making and using any devices orsystems and performing any incorporated methods. The patentable scope ofthe invention is defined by the claims, and may include other examplesthat occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are intendedto be within the scope of the claims if they have structural elementsthat are not different from the literal language of the claims, or ifthey include equivalent structural elements.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for packaging and unwinding a coil ofwelding wire to allow an uninterrupted flow of the welding wire from onecontainer to another container, the coil of welding wire including acoil top and a coil bottom, a feeding end of the welding wire extendsfrom the coil top and a trailing end of the wire extends from the coilbottom, the trailing end of the one container being joinable to thefeeding end of the another container, the system comprising: at leastone container including at least one vertically extending side wall, abottom, a top opening for removing the welding wire and a wire coilreceiving cavity within the outer packaging for receiving the wire coil,the feeding end and the trailing end being positionable near the topopening; a wire retaining ring that is disposed on the coil top in theat least one container, the wire retaining ring including, adiscontinuous inner ring that has an inner radius and an inner gap; adiscontinuous outer ring that has an outer radius, which is greater thanthe inner radius, the outer ring is substantially concentricallydisposed with regard to the inner ring; at least two spokes that eachextend radially from the inner ring to the outer ring, the spokesintersect the outer ring to create a plurality of segments along acircumference of the outer ring; and a wire guide extending radiallyfrom the inner ring to the outer ring and having a first portion and asecond portion, where the wire guide includes a slot having a slot widthand separating the first portion of the guide from the second portion ofthe guide, the slot defining a discontinuity in the inner ring and adiscontinuity in the outer ring and disposed in a location in place ofone of the plurality of spokes, wherein the trailing end of the firstcoil of wire is positioned within the slot.
 2. The system of claim 1,where the slot extends from the inner ring to the outer ring in an arc.3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a discontinuousintermediate ring that has an intermediate radius and an intermediategap corresponding to the slot, the intermediate ring is substantiallyconcentrically disposed with regard to the inner ring and theintermediate radius is greater than the inner radius and less than theouter radius.
 4. The system of claim 3, the portion of the slotextending from the inner ring to a position proximate the intermediatering having a substantially constant width and the portion of the slotextending from the position proximate the intermediate ring to the outerring increasing in width.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the cornerof the first portion of the wire guide adjacent the discontinuity in theinner ring is radiused.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the trailingend of the wire is disposed at a location closer to the outer ring thanthe inner ring.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the spokes bend at anangle of approximately 90 degrees in an upward direction at a locationoutside the outer ring.
 8. The system of claim 1, the at least twocontainers each include a quantity of vertical walls, the number ofspokes is equal to the quantity of vertical walls.
 9. The system ofclaim 8, wherein the vertical walls are connected to one another in anend-to-end configuration around an interior portion of each container tocreate a quantity of corners that is equal to the quantity of walls,each spoke is placed within a corner.
 10. The system of claim 1, whereinan elevation of the horizontal plane of said inner ring is greater thanan elevation of the horizontal plane of the outer ring.
 11. The systemof claim 3, wherein an elevation of the horizontal plane of thediscontinuous intermediate ring is substantially equal to an elevationof the horizontal plane of the outer ring.
 12. The system of claim 8,wherein the spokes are generally angled upward from the outer ring tothe inner ring.
 13. The system of claim 9, wherein the upward angle ofthe spokes is greater from the discontinuous intermediate ring to thediscontinuous inner ring than from the outer ring to the discontinuousintermediate ring.
 14. The system of claim 1, wherein the trailing endof the first coil of wire is further positioned within a wire retainerformed in the at least one vertically extending side wall of one of thecontainers.
 15. The system of claim 14, wherein the wire retainer is atab formed in the container.
 16. The system of claim 1, wherein the wireguide includes a upwardly offset lip at a radial extremity of said wireguide on either side of said slot.
 17. A wire retaining ring for a coilof welding wire, the coil includes a coil top and a coil bottom, afeeding end of the welding wire extends from the coil top and a trailingend of the wire extends from the coil bottom, the trailing end of thecoil of wire being joinable to the feeding end of another coil of wire,the wire retaining ring comprising: a discontinuous inner ring that hasan inner radius and an inner gap; a discontinuous outer ring that has anouter radius, which is greater than the inner radius, the outer ring issubstantially concentrically disposed with regard to the inner ring; atleast two spokes that each extend radially from the inner ring to theouter ring, the spokes intersect the outer ring to create a plurality ofsegments along a circumference of the outer ring; and a wire guideextending radially from the inner ring to the outer ring and having afirst portion and a second portion, where the wire guide includes a slothaving a slot width and separating the first portion of the guide fromthe second portion of the guide, the slot defining a discontinuity inthe inner ring and a discontinuity in the outer ring.
 18. The wireretaining ring of claim 17, wherein said wire guide is disposed in alocation in place of one of the plurality of spokes.
 19. The wireretaining ring of claim 17, further comprising a shortened spokeattached to a radial extremity of said wire guide.
 20. The wireretaining ring of claim 17, wherein said first portion of said wireguide includes a concave edge extending from said inner ring to saidintermediate ring and said second portion has a convex edge extendingfrom said inner ring to said intermediate, wherein said concave edge andsaid convex edge have the same radius of curvature.
 21. The wireretaining ring of claim 20, wherein said second portion extends linearlyoutward from said intermediate ring along a radial line offset from acenter axis, and said first portion includes an outer edge that flaresoutward from said concave edge and said second portion to form a widergap within said wire guide near said outer ring.
 22. The wire retainingring of claim 17 further comprising a discontinuous intermediate ringthat has an intermediate radius and an intermediate gap corresponding tothe slot, the intermediate ring is substantially concentrically disposedwith regard to the inner ring and the intermediate radius is greaterthan the inner radius and less than the outer radius.
 23. The wireretaining ring of claim 22, the portion of the slot extending from theinner ring to a position proximate the intermediate ring having asubstantially constant width and the portion of the slot extending fromthe position proximate the intermediate ring to the outer ringincreasing in width from the intermediate ring to the outer ring.
 24. Anendless wire payoff system for coiled wire comprising: a first containerthat contains a first coil of wire that has a feeding end and a trailingend, the feeding end is fed through the wire feeder for a weldingoperation; a second container that contains a second coil of wire thathas a feeding end and trailing end, the feeding end is connected to thetrailing end of the first coil; a first wire retaining ring disposed ontop of the first coil and a second wire retaining ring disposed on topof the second coil, where each wire retaining ring includes adiscontinuous inner ring that has an inner radius and an inner gap; adiscontinuous outer ring that has an outer radius, which is greater thanthe inner radius, the outer ring is substantially concentricallydisposed with regard to the inner ring; at least two spokes that eachextend radially from the inner ring to the outer ring, the spokesintersect the outer ring to create a plurality of segments along acircumference of the outer ring; and a wire guide extending radiallyfrom the inner ring to the outer ring and having a first portion and asecond portion, where the wire guide includes a slot having a slot widthand separating the first portion of the guide from the second portion ofthe guide, the slot defining a discontinuity in the inner ring and adiscontinuity in the outer ring and disposed in a location in place ofone of the plurality of spokes, wherein the trailing end of the firstcoil of wire is positioned within the slot.
 25. The endless wire payoffsystem of claim 24, further comprising a discontinuous intermediate ringlocated radially between said discontinuous inner ring and saiddiscontinuous outer ring and a having a radius greater than saiddiscontinuous inner ring and less than said discontinuous outer ring;the portion of the slot extending from the inner ring to a positionproximate the intermediate ring having a substantially constant widthand the portion of the slot extending from the position proximate theintermediate ring to the outer ring increasing in width from theintermediate ring to the outer ring.